Just three short weeks ago, the upcoming pay-per-view fight between Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KO) and Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KO) was dominating the headlines. Coverage of the three-stop press tour to promote the fight was on every website and blog, and even got considerable coverage in newspapers and on ESPN.
September is now near its end, and the loud buzz of this mega-fight has been drowned out by nearby competition. The boxing calendar for November quickly filled up with quality, meaningful matchups that have taken some of the thunder from the fight that once looked like it could be the biggest and best fight of the year.
Despite Pacquiao?s last outing against unwilling welterweight Joshua Clottey, a much more explosive fight is expected with Margarito. While Margarito was hand-picked as an opponent, and the controversy surrounding the former welterweight champion, Pacquiao plays the hero in this theater. Margarito has many supporters that feel he should be afforded every opportunity to resume his career after his suspension for attempting to use illegal handwraps in his January 2009 fight with Shane Mosley. There are, however, more that feel he should never fight again, and would love nothing more than to see Manny Pacquiao hand out a serious beating to the man that was caught attempting to cheat the sport that has been so good to him.
Despite the Sheriff/Outlaw element that lies within the fight, Pacquiao-Margarito has been forced to share the limelight with some of the other fights that have recently been announced for the month of November.
Juan Manuel Lopez, one of the most exciting young fighters in boxing today is scheduled to take on future Hall-of-Famer Rafael Marquez on November 6. While that fight has the potential to be a one-sided rout, given the wear and tear on Marquez?s thirty-five year old body, it is still highly anticipated. Marquez showed that he still possesses much of his counter-punching skill and accuracy in his last fight with Israel Vazquez. It is an intriguing prospect to see how much he has left when put to the test against a young slugger like Lopez.
November 20 bring us a rematch of one of the best fights of 2009. WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez lays it all on the line against Paul Williams in a fight that is expected to live up to the hype created by their first controversial matchup. Williams says he will be more prepared for Martinez?s style, given a full training camp. Martinez, if you remember, was a late replacement for Williams, who was in preparation for a fight with former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. Martinez will be looking to improve on his performance in the first fight, a fight which he humbly feels he didn?t deserve to win.
I still feel Pacquiao-Margarito will be an excellent fight. Pacquiao was very successful against Oscar De La Hoya, a fighter that is about the same height and natural weight (154) as Margarito. While De La Hoya drained himself to get down under the welterweight (147 lb) limit, hampering his reflexes and ability to throw timely counter-punches, Margarito won?t have the same problem, despite the catch-weight of 151 pounds. Pacquiao?s speed and ability to move his feet and turn Margarito to bad angles will work to his advantage against the naturally slower Margarito. That doesn?t make Margarito a walking heavy bag with gloves, as was the case in March with Joshua Clottey. Margarito?s aggressive style should keep the element of danger looming long enough to keep fans enthralled, and could lead to an opening for big shots from either man.
While Pacquiao-Margarito is no longer the ?Lone Star? in November, it has to share the spotlight with some other great fights, and should prove to be a great, resurgent month for boxing, in what has been an otherwise disappointing year.
*photo courtesy of Top Rank Promotions
